Finding One's Self
by hangman1
Summary: Forgetting how he ended up in this situation, a heartless bounty hunter ends up in the mad world of the Grand Line. Setting his greedy eyes on the bounties of this world, a terror unlike anything this world has seen before has been unleashed...


Finding One's Self

Prologue

Disclaimer; I don't own Naruto or One Piece

Challenge; Thanathos's 'A New World' challenge

**XXX**

_God has taken my eyes, to blind me from that which is hideous;_

_He has taken my ears, to drown out the screaming;_

_He has taken my legs, to stop my world from quaking;_

_He has taken my soul, to stop my heart from breaking._

XXX

I never wanted to be a hero.

All I wanted was too live in a world free from disappointment. With my powers, that could be possible. I could live, eternally, in a perfect world. But I was betrayed- those I trusted were planning on stabbing me in the back. So I killed them, and took their hearts.

People don't make the world go round- money does. It may not be the perfect philosophy, but I survived for over a hundred years following it. Like I said- I never wanted to be a hero. Anyone who got close to me would usually end up dead by my hand- I have next to no patience. Killing has become my forte, and so it shall always be, in this world and the next. Living as a bounty hunter does not earn the money to sustain an ideal world however. But working for a criminal organisation specialising in misdeeds? That can have some benefits.

In no time at all, I was scouted by a prestigious criminal organisation and granted the position of treasurer. But old habits die hard, and I ended up killing most of my partners. Until they gave me an immortal pagan who couldn't die no matter how much I cut him. My path was set. By doing wrong, I was doing myself right. Egoism is pure bliss.

I never wanted to be a hero.

XXX

"_Salt…"_ murmured a deep, throaty voice. A man lay face down on the beach, half his face buried in sand. His hair was a dark brown, shoulder-length and unkempt, like a lion's mane. Stitches covered his body over every nook and cranny, like he was the reincarnation of Frankenstein's-Monster. If not for that, four masks were stitched onto his back, red sores encircling them showing the painful process it must have been to have them installed. He lay there, naked on the beach. With a loud grunt, he pushed himself up and surveyed his surroundings with cool sea-green eyes, turned malevolent by the crimson Scylla. Finally stretching to his full-height, he gave his body a test stretch before flexing each finger, testing out the nerves of his body. He was indeed on a beach, of a small island by the looks of it, unlike anything he'd seen before in the elemental nations. "Where… Am I?" he murmured, a fleeting moment of uncertainty in his usually stoic voice.

The salty water ebbed up to his feet, licking his heels. A sharp cold suddenly met his foot, causing him too look down. There, buried in the sand, was the Takigakaru head-band, a large slash courtesy of a kunai through its centre, marking him as a missing-nin. Growling; he bent down and picked it up, tying it around his neck before turning his attention to his lack of clothes. "Why am I still alive…?" he muttered. It was almost like he was still there- in that barren wasteland, left with no hearts, his chakra system decimated by that monstrous technique the Kyuubi-Jinchuriki used, squaring off with an elite Konoha jonin. The man had been merciful and ended his life with a swift lightning element technique- it was much more than he really deserved… And after all that, he thought he'd finally be able to rest in godforsaken oblivion… He grit his fists tightly, drawing blood, before roaring like a mountain lion, the echo carrying for miles around. "WHY DO I LIVE?" he cried, his mouth gaping as far as it could, nearly stitched shut with the seams meant to hold his mouth in place.

After a moment of screaming in frustration, he collapsed to his knees, blood leaking from his clawed palms. "I have my hearts. I have my strength. My life was not a dream- I died." Lifting a hand up to his temple, he massaged it, trying to recall anything else.

"_Why am I still alive?"_

"_We have returned you to the living."_

"_Take these hearts as sacrifice."_

"_You have served your purpose! How dare you try to rebel against me! __**Kamui!**__"_

"Words are meaningless…" mumbled the brunette. Silently, he began to shuffle across the sand, dragging his feet behind him. Though the rocks bit his skin and the air froze his body, the man fell into 'auto-pilot', walking straight forwards, no matter where his journey took him. All the while he was calculating- trying to figure out what had happened and how he'd ended up in this mad situation; naked and stranded on the beach with all his hearts fully recovered. For a few moments, he began to doubt his own existence, only recovering when he tried to bring his own words into his mind, _"Even hell runs on money," "Start training your mind, instead of your body, Hidan." "Keep talking and I will kill you." "Hidan, anyone with a brain would know the world __**revolves **__around money."_

Stopping suddenly, he snaked a long tongue out his mouth before licking a small part of his lips, the rest blocked due to the threads. His tongue was dry. Blind to the world around him, his slow crawl continued. Voices- shouting. Silhouette's came into view, holding long, spear-like weapons, or small cylinder shaped objects. One voice seemed to address him directly. "_You! Who are you?_"

Pausing, he got to his full height and grunted in his usual stoic voice, "I am Kakuzu."

They continued to speak, only a few of their words meeting his ears. _"Market…" "Slaves…" "Fetch a lot of Beli, this one…"_

Green eyes widened in their sockets. Beli; that must have been the currency of this strange place. Judging by what he heard, they were slave traders, about to take him to the market to sell. For the first time in what seemed like a millennia, a small smile crept onto Kakuzu's stitched lips.

XXX

Like Kakuzu expected, he was bound in shackles and led, at spear point, towards a large dome shaped building where he was shoved violently against the wall. "Nice catch…" muttered the lead captor, a tall man with short blond hair and a bulky form. He glanced at the dark-skinned Kakuzu and snorted. "What's up with this one? He's naked!"

"We found him that way sir- he was just wandering down the road when we found him."

'Bulky' snorted. "Well, he looks big and strong. He'll fetch a fair few on the market. Did I tell you?" he grinned slyly. "We've got some special guests coming today. All the way from the holy land of Mariejois- four Tenryuubito!" chuckling smugly, he continued, "They got a bit bored with the humdrum pirate's they've been buying, so they've come straight to our humble establishment to pick up some real slaves- the others tend to run away and get killed by those little collars of theirs." A short, stumpy hand swept out to the few dozen people who crouched in the dungeon-like room. "And these guys are more sporting- they won't run. South Blue's as cowardly as it gets. These guy's are to scared to even speak right now-"

A dark, loud chuckle stopped his rant. Kakuzu was shaking with mirth, his stitched lips quaking with laughter. "W-what do you find so funny, you useless slave?" yelled 'Bulky'. "Why are you laughing?"

Kakuzu's laughter died down slowly, before he met the eyes of his 'captor'. "How much?"

The slave trader was taken aback, "E-Excuse me?" All the other slaves were staring at him in amazement.

"If I were to kill one of these 'Tenryuubito'… How much would its head be worth?" even spoken in that jovial tone, his dark and low-pitched voice made his statement quite grave. Like a rising storm, he got to his feet, staring down at the short man, his stitched grin sending chill's down the man's spine. "…It's time to get started."

**XXX**

Well, that's the first chapter for ya'll! Hope you'll continue reading- with the help of Thanathos I've got lots of scenario's popping up in my insane little mind! All hail imagination!

Q- When is this set in the Naruto-universe? A-I've kind of constructed the scenario in my head, but basically a few chapters a head of where the manga is now.

Q- Will Kakuzu be a pirate? A- Possibly, but it's a MUST that he'll need to start off as a bounty hunter.

Q- Will more Naruto character's appear? A-I have given that some thought, but not yet, let's wait for the story to pan out first!

Q- What about pairings? A- Ahh, the dreaded 'P'-word. I have put some thought into this and I'm NOT going to do a harem for any character, but I might consider using one girl who has interested me in the OP universe.


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